Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Maiden name found for Lavinia Ann WRIGHT

In the fall of 2008, Larry and I took a 6 wk. trip in our motorhome back east for the sole purpose of going to cemeteries, courthouses, libraries and genealogical societies to search for our ancestors. We spent a considerable amount of time in Tennessee since both our ancestors lived there at one time.

We went to Haywood County in Brownsville, TN and found a couple of land records. They were written in small longhand in the early 1800's, making them very difficult to read. We filed them in our stack and laid the stack aside when we got home in October because we still had to clean up the garden, and then came the holidays. After the holidays, we spent a month in Yuma and now we are getting ready to garden again so it doesn't leave a lot of spare time for family history.

Just recently, I put in a google search for Thomas W.P. Wright which is my great grandfather on my mother, Verna's side. It brought up a book which google had digitized and made available online. This is what is listed :From "Tennessee Tidbits, 1778-1914"-Google Book Search

(copyrighted material)

This is transcribed from the internet 4/09

Page 336:WITHERINGTON, Robert“ Died before 10 January 1849 as shown by the suit of R.W. Witherington next friend of Lovey Ann Wright vs Thomas W.P. Wright. Lovey Ann was the wife of Thomas W.P. Wright and was entitled to 3 negroes derived from her father, Robert Witherington, deceased. Thomas Wright had sold the negroes and the suit was to recover the money for them and a trustee was to be named to hold same for her benefit. (Mad TN, Ch Ct Min, 1/61) Lovey Ann had received the negroes from her father’s estate while she was single. She will retain two of them for herself and her children and they will not be subject to the debts of her husband. Jno R. Jelks was appointed to act as trustee. (lbid 65) 16 January

Upon finding this record, I started looking through our stack we brought home and found the actual document but I'm not sure I could have deciphered it without the help of that article.

At any rate, it gives Lovey's father's name as Robert H. Witherington. The article above shows Robert W. but it looks more like an H. to me. Also that article states the last name as Witherington but in the document, it is actually spelled Witherigton, Worthigton, Wetherigton. and Weatherington. My guess is the clerk just guessed at the spelling each time. The document was filed 27 Jan. 1849. This was 12 years before the beginning of the Civil War when the slaves were freed.

I found another document where Martha E. Wethington sold property in 1837 and T.W.P Wright was the administrator for Robt. H. Withington. It is a bit confusing now but at least I have a maiden name for Lovey.

Thomas Wiley Wright is listed on the 1850 Haywood County, TN census as T.P.W. Wright in District 5. It shows he was born in North Carolina and gives his age as 28 in 1850. It lists his wife as Lavinia Ann and she is 21 that year. Their children listed were James R., age 4,; Thomas, age 1 and a boarder named Thomas Williams, age 21.

They are listed in Alvarado, Johnson County, Texas census in 1860 as T.W.P. Wright, age 38, male, farmer, born N.C., wife, L.A., age 35, female, housewife, born N.C. Children were James R. Wright, age 13, male, born TN; Thos. C. Wright age 11 , male, born TN; Wiley P. Wright, age 9, male born TN, John F. Wright, age 7, male, born TN; L.A.P. Wright age 4, female, born TN, Victoria L. Wright, age 3, female, born Texas, Wm. R. Wright, age 7/12, male , born TX. So according to this they moved to TX between 1856 and 1857 from TN.

Thomas Wiley P. Wright is buried in the Oak Grove Cemetery east of Stilwell, Oklahoma. His stone reads "Wiley P. Wright, age 60, native of Tennessee"

~on Cherokee Nation Cherokee Indian Roll of John F. Wright with wife Lizzie and their children, (he was not an Indian, Lizzie and children were. This roll lists John's father as Wyly Wright and mother as Annie Wright which is probably short for Lavinia Ann that I found on another document . John was married to Lizzie (Elizabeth Byers) first and then to my grandmother, Annie Etta Wells.

So the first names I have found on documents for Lavinia Ann are Louann, Annie, Lovey and initials L.A.

Finding her maiden name now has given me another surname to look for, although the correct spelling is yet to be had (Weatherington, Welington, Withigton, Witherington, Withrigton). This is also the first evidence that some of our family were slave owners. I find it interesting that the suit was filed against her husband because he sold her slaves when her father had given them to her before she married T.W.P. but as you can see, the suit was dropped.